Work-to-Family Conflict and Children’s Problems with School, Friends, and Health: Household Economic Conditions and Couple Relationship Quality as Contingencies

What is the relationship between work-to-family conflict (WFC) and children’s problems with school, friends, and health? And does that association depend on household economic conditions and couple relationship quality? Using four waves of longitudinal data from the Canadian Work, Stress, and Heath Study (2011–2017), the present study finds that—overall—both fathers’ and mothers’ levels of WFC are associated with elevated levels of children’s problems over time. However, we also discover that household income and spousal disputes moderate this focal relationship—and they do so differently for mothers and fathers. First, the positive association between WFC and children’s problems is stronger for mothers (but not fathers) in households with lower income. Second, the positive association between WFC and children’s problems is stronger for fathers (but not mothers) who report more frequent disputes with their spouse. We discuss the implications of these patterns for current theorizing about stress amplification dynamics and situate that discussion within broader ideas in the ecological model of human development.